Everything is Temporary
by Jhelle
Summary: Aang goes overseas and leaves Katara, promising that she'd be waiting for him when he returns. But whatever happened to them next was something neither would have expected. Kataang, Zutara. Other ships follow.
1. PROLOGUE

_**(A/N) **__My sister and I were making up random stories and plots from our Avatarded imagination one day and this sort of just came up. It's been eating me for the past few days and I was itching to start writing it as soon as I could. So here I am right now in this current situation with another AU story in my hands (I'm beginning to think that I'm writing too many modern day AU's already :v)._

_This one will be a little different since there will be a lot of drama and shippings to make things really interesting. The Cupid will just keep shooting arrows at one person to another (-insert evil laugh here-)! So expect a lot of ships (even cracked) throughout the continuation of the story. Some you might like; some you might not. But hopefully, you'll get to enjoy each and every one of them. (But, okay I should totally confess that this will be a Zutara, Kataang and possibly Taang fic)_

_What am I doing? Nobody really reads the A/N's so I'm just gonna stop there (I wrote it for the sake of those who choose to read it). But I'll need to explain a few really important things first:_

_This is during the modern times so Toph is not blind and I don't want Aangy to be bald and tattooed (no matter how badass he'd look)._

_*The cover photo is an original sketch (copyright). It's modern Katara. You can find the full body version of it in my profile._

_And of course,** the Disclaimer: **I ONLY OWN AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER IN MY DREAMS. __(Yeah, right. I could dream. But they're not coming true anyways)_

* * *

**PROLOGUE**

* * *

_Four days earlier..._

Waking up even before dawn had always bothered him. In fact, he was never even used to the routine in the first place. But he couldn't help but think that the morning was quite fresh and today was undeniably a 'special case'.

And yes, nothing else could possibly describe how 'special' the case was that he had to wake up bright and early. But he knew all the while the reasons as to why. It's not every day that he will have to do something that required much sacrifice.

Before the sun was even peeping on the horizon, Aang was wide awake, sitting on the kitchen table drinking naturally brewed coffee. He may appear rather sluggish in appearance, but his anticipation was quite in contrary. He was so enthusiastic that words almost can't describe how excited he was. He knew his reasons, and he couldn't wait for the next few hours that were sure to come.

His adoptive father had entered the small kitchen casually, his luggage in tow. He was a bald middle-aged man with a goatee, and was old enough to be considered his grandfather. Despite the old age however, his cheerfulness was that of a child's. He set the bags down on the floor, and motioned for the boy to help him with the rest of their luggage. Aang gulped the rest of his coffee down and followed him to the end of the hall.

"Okay, Aang," he started to say. "We'll be leaving the house in an hour and a half. Your friends said that they'll be stopping by for a farewell so I guess we could allow them some time." He handed Aang the baggage. "After all, we wouldn't want to leave without saying good bye."

Aang nodded gratefully, but frowned when he felt the nagging feeling at the back of his head again that always bothered him for some unspecified reason.

"Thanks, Gyatso," smiling, he took the bags to the kitchen. "I'm glad that you let them come. They seriously won't let me leave without a proper good bye."

He smiled and patted the boy's back. "It's absolutely no trouble. Besides, the flight will still be in four hours, so we still got time."

Aang smiled at his old man once more before excusing himself to take a shower.

Not long after the boy left, a car full of teenagers suddenly pulled up on the driveway. Gyatso quirked an eye brow when he heard the roar of the engines of an old mustang. He didn't really expect the boy's friends to come earlier than he thought they would. The sun had just started to appear on the horizon, and the sunlight had yet to illuminate the town with its heavenly glow.

He walked over to the windows to peek on the blinds. He watched as a tall boy with mocha skin emerged from the car, followed by his sister on the passenger seat. Another girl with much paler skin came out from the backseat and almost slammed the car's door in frustration. She had a scowl on her childish face, and was unmistakably annoyed for some reason. The old man smiled when he saw them.

He called out over his shoulder. "Aang, your friends are here!"

But apparently the boy didn't seem to have heard him and he assumed that he was still locked away in the bathroom.

The trio sauntered towards the front door and Gyatso waited for them to knock. And when they did, he opened it a little too enthusiastically.

"Good morning, Gyatso," the ever polite Katara smiled and bowed to him. She was a charming and respectful young lady, and the old man couldn't help but feel proud of his son's choice of girlfriends.

"Whattup, Gramps?" the other girl greeted casually as if they've been the best of friends for such a long time (which is quite considerable since the two got along swimmingly).

"Hey, M.G.," Katara's brother grinned crookedly. "I hope we weren't too late." He glanced at the interior of the dimly lit room and turned his attention back to the weary looking old man. Sokka smiled sheepishly, "Or in this case, too early."

Gyatso chuckled lowly as he greeted them. "It's absolutely no problem, kids," he motioned for them to come inside. "We've been awake even before the sun was out. We didn't really expect you to come earlier than the time you told us you would. But since you are all here, well, after all the trouble you probably had to go through, we couldn't just let you leave now, can we?"

"That," Toph stated as-a-matter-of-factly. "Would just be a waste of gas. Twinkletoes doesn't know how lucky he is that I'm such an awesome friend. I have to be dragged here by these two for the pansy's sake." She blew her bangs from her face. "Talk about sacrifice."

Katara looked around the room eagerly. "Speaking of 'Twinkletoes', where's Aang, anyway?"

"Oh, he's upstairs taking a shower," the old man said. "He didn't expect you to be early. But don't worry; he'll be down in a minute."

Toph dumped herself unceremoniously on the dusty couch and groaned. "See? I told you guys that we're too early. But did Sugar queen listen to me? _Nooo_," she drawled and wrinkled her nose at them. "Can you believe these guys, Gramps? They climbed on my window at three A.M. and dragged me here."

"Toph, its fine," the older girl rolled her eyes and Toph childishly stuck her tongue out at her. "And for the record, we didn't really need to drag you out. You just came by."

"But you threatened me! It was by far one of the cruelest threats you could imply," she exclaimed. Sokka bit his lip and tried to hold his laughter (since he knows what's good for him) upon remembering his sister's threat. He couldn't help but wonder where in the world Katara could have possibly learned that. "It was a smart one too," Toph muttered and crossed her arms.

"Besides," Katara ignored her. "From what I know, _you_ threatened us that if we let Aang leave without saying good-bye, you'd beat him up when he comes back. I don't want that to happen to him… _at all_." Then she smiled a little too sweetly at the younger girl and Toph scowled. "I want him to be in a good shape and free from any bruises or broken bones, thank you very much."

Apparently, they forgot that there was another presence in the room. Gyatso's eyes momentarily widened at what he just heard and he stiffened almost unnoticeably. But Toph felt it anyway. She had that sixth-sense she's proud to call that most people don't have, and she was fast to react. She shrugged one shoulder and folded her arms nonchalantly behind her head.

"And yet you believed me. I didn't even say that," she said and she heard Gyatso exhale softly in relief. "You people just assumed that I did."

"Well, knowing you, you could have said something like that."

"I'm not _that_ cruel. You guys have no proof, anyway."

"Um, you sort of, _kinda _did, Toph," Sokka scratched his chin in thought. "You told me that – "

"You guys just _really_ want me to beat him up, do you?"

"Uh," Gyatso cleared his throat awkwardly. "Do you kids want anything like coffee or tea? I could get you some if you'd like."

"Nah, we're good, Gramps," Toph waved him off dismissingly.

"Coffee would be nice, thank you," Katara said completely putting aside the topic beforehand. "But I'll save you all the trouble. We won't be here too long anyway."

"No, it's perfectly fine," Gyatso assured her kindly. "It's early and you kids need something to boost yourselves up. By the looks on your faces you're still probably drowned in your sleep last night and had just awoken," he chuckled softly. "I'll be back to fix up some coffee," He turned to excuse himself heading towards the west side of the house. "In the meantime, you should probably just stay here and wait for Aang. He'll be down soon." Then with that being said, he disappeared (a little hurriedly, Toph noted) to the kitchen.

Sokka dumped himself on a recliner after the old man left and he groaned in content. Katara sauntered over to where Toph was sitting and sat next to the younger girl. She was busy picking her nose a little too naturally. Katara nearly cringed at the sight.

"You guys should be careful of what comes out of your mouths," Katara shook her head. "I think we just scared Gyatso."

"No duh," Toph said, still digging in her nose. "You scared him, Katara."

"What? Me?!" she said in disbelief. "You're the one who threatened his son."

"Yeah, but you brought it up, sis," Sokka said smugly. "So apparently, it's both your faults."

Katara groaned and brought her face into her hands. "I didn't do that! I –," she started to say, but she paused, knowing that it won't get her anywhere. "You guys are so… _ugh_, never mind." She sighed. It was clear to everyone that Katara didn't want to initiate another pointless argument, so she withdrew from the topic. Toph felt smug at her self-proclaimed victory.

A moment of silence passed between them.

"Sooo…," Toph said randomly after a few seconds, pulling out an excretion from her nostril. "Where's the Airhead going again?"

"Asian tour," Sokka said casually. "I don't know where to be specific, but the kid's lucky. That's three weeks of just traveling and having a huge blast," he sat up from his position on the recliner. "I mean, where does that leave us?"

"Me? Somewhere far away from here, maybe. You two? I'm gonna take a good guess and say 'no where'," Toph smirked in a mocking way as she turned to Sokka. "That's what you normally do anyway, am I right?"

"Did you forget something, Sokka?" his sister said, sitting up. "Aang and Gyatso are having this trip for a reason; _besides_ just having fun and thinking it's a vacation."

"Ah, true, true," he nodded in agreement and reclined back to the seat. "But it sure beats doing nothing on the first month, right?"

"You of all people should start doing something, I don't know… _productive_? So you'll finally feel satisfied once summer ends."

"Since when am I satisfied with just three months? It's even more aggravating! Can you imagine how much of a 'troll' society is? I mean, this is like my second to the last official summer vacation before I go to college."

"And yet," Toph said, still smirking. "You're wasting sweet precious time lazing around on your sorry little ass playing _Minecraft_ 'til dawn."

Sokka glared at her dangerously.

Just when Sokka was about to start a violent argument with Toph, the trio heard footsteps coming down from the wooden staircase. Sokka paused midway. They turned to see Aang waving at them while trudging down the stairs, freshly showered and clothed for the occasion. He was grinning happily and they caught a glimpse of something big, white, fluffy and furry trailing behind him. It was Aang's English Sheepdog Appa. He landed on the ground before his master did and he wagged his tail happily while trotting towards them.

"Hey, guys! Glad to see that you could come," Aang said in that overly enthusiastic voice of his, and the rest of them couldn't help but smile at that. The violent attempt Sokka was about to enforce earlier slowly dissipated as he pushed it back in for Aang's sake.

Katara was suddenly up on her feet at the sound of his greeting and she quickly sprung towards him. "Aang!" She exclaimed happily. Aang was smiling from ear to ear and by the time he reached the foot of the stairs, his girlfriend had already reached out to embrace him.

Sokka and Toph followed closely behind.

"You wouldn't allow us to let you leave without saying good-bye now would you, Twinkletoes?" Toph grinned while crossing her arms.

"Yeah, Aang! Just when we were about to let you do whatever the hell you want," Sokka added with a crooked grin.

Katara pulled away just when he started to chuckle, and with the big smile still plastered on Aang's youthful face, he turned to the other two behind his girlfriend. "Thanks for coming, guys. You have no idea how happy I am to see you before we go."

"Hey, don't mention it," Toph said as she playfully punched his shoulder. "What are friends for? Besides, this is all Sugar Queen's doing. We would've been still asleep if it weren't for her climbing on windows."

Katara chuckled nervously when Aang turned to her, but he smiled otherwise.

Gyatso emerged from the kitchen a few moments later to call them in for a cup of coffee. He served them some buttered toast, and was kind enough to provide a real breakfast for them. Aang just sat there with his friends, keeping them company, without anything being served in front of him since he had already eaten his share before they arrived. He watched them in amusement as they ate, laughed and joked around until they were finally satisfied and filled with the rightful amount of energy. It beamed from their faces. Not once was it awkward for him nor did a single one of them feel left out in any of the topics and conversations they were having. Aang was happy to have such amazing people as his friends. They've known each other since he was in middle school and had been an inseparable foursome ever since.

Sokka was telling them the story and he couldn't believe that they had to go through all this trouble – waking up before the crack of dawn, climbing windows in order to drag the other out, and driving all the way here – just to wish him a happy trip and to bid him good-bye. He smiled at that and it's hard to avoid the feeling that was building up in his chest.

Gyatso had already told him beforehand about the trip's conditions, and Aang was a little disappointed. The main disadvantage of the trip (he knew this was coming) was that he'll have to lose contact with the rest of them. He'll be going out of the country and the ways of communication will be very complicated. From what he had heard (from a somewhat reliable source), his two main sources of reaching them through social media were banned in China (which is one of the places he and Gyatso will be going), and most of the other places they'll be staying in will either have no internet connection or will be completely isolated. He could send letters, yes. But how long do you think will the recipient be able to receive it? A week or two maybe; considering the fact that he'll be overseas. And by the time he gets a reply, he'll be either on the road to another destination or aboard the international airlines.

As selfish as it may sound, Aang wished that Gyatso could have picked better places for them to go on their so-called vacation, but who was he to say that? The old man didn't even consider this a vacation at all. It's a religious pilgrimage that he had to do every ten years and Aang had no other choice but to take part in it with him. The old man was a fairly religious individual since he was a missionary. He was no exception to the traditions.

It's sad to think that he'll be away from them. And even if it's not that long, Aang couldn't help but be bothered by something that he couldn't quite name. It's not like he'll be gone forever, right? It couldn't be that bad now, would it? But for some reason, he was being overly dramatic and he couldn't do anything but worry to some extent.

Maybe it was because of the fact that he has a girlfriend. He's never been away from Katara for more than a week ever since they started dating. And they've been dating for almost two years now.

Aang knew he could trust her, no doubt. And by all means, he could. He wasn't overly attached or overly-possessive like other people in a relationship. Besides, what could happen? All he knows was that when he comes home, she'll be there waiting for him wearing a beautiful smile on her face.

But even with that pleasant thought in mind, why was there still something bothering him?

His thoughts were interrupted when he felt someone flick his temple. "Ow!" he yelped and turned towards the culprit. Toph was sitting beside him with a placid expression on her face.

"Yo, Twinkletoes," she said. "You okay in there? What's going on in that head of yours? We've been trying to get to you but you've kind of spaced out." She shook her head when she stood up from her stool. "Seriously, pay attention to what's going on around you. It's important when you're on the road. You'll never know what'll hit you." She turned to follow Sokka and Gyatso out of the kitchen.

Aang watched them leave, confusion etched on his face. He felt a hand on his shoulder and he turned to see his girlfriend standing behind him. She looked really lovely, bathed in the faint glow of sunlight protruding from the windows.

"Aang? Is everything okay?" she asked in her ever caring nature.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he smiled at her. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Are you sure? It seemed as if something was bothering you for a moment there."

He forced a soft laugh. "No, really," he insisted. "I'm okay. Don't worry about me." He took the hand she placed on his shoulder and kissed it affectionately.

Katara sighed, but forced a smile anyway. "Okay. But if something's wrong, just tell us, alright?"

"Com'mon, Katara. You can trust me on this: there really isn't anything to worry about." Well, nothing that he knew of. He gave her hand a squeeze before he stood up to join the others.

When they made it to the front lawn, they found Gyatso, Toph and Sokka loading the baggage in the old car. Appa was sitting happily by the mailbox with Aang's cat Momo perched on top of it. There weren't many bags, just two luggages, maybe. But they were heavy. Gyatso didn't really have that strength to carry such heavy load like he used to, so he asked for Toph and Sokka's help. Aang walked over to them, smiling. Katara followed behind him.

"Okay, so we loaded the stuff in," Sokka said, brushing his hands. "What's left to do, M.G.?"

"I need to double check the house before we leave," Gyatso turned to Aang with a knowing smile. "While I'm at it, you should take this opportunity for your farewells and necessary favors." He then turned towards the house and disappeared in it once more.

Aang looked over at them, with a genuine smile on his face. He opened his mouth to say something, but Sokka beat him to it.

"So, Aang," he said with a huge grin. "First off: _favors._" Katara rolled her eyes at him. "The good-byes and farewells could wait later," he cleared his throat dramatically. "Since you'll be going someplace 'exotic', how about bringing me home a little something-something."

"Sokka!"

"Umm…okay," Aang rubbed the back of his neck in slight confusion, but he was smiling anyway. "What do you want me to get you then?"

"Hmm…," Sokka tapped his chin in thought. Then suddenly, he exclaimed as he snapped his fingers, surprising them. "I got it! Bring us home the most gorgeous 'little souvenir' you will meet – uh…_find_!"

Katara and Toph rolled their eyes; the former in an incredulous way, the latter in aggravation.

_Ugh… not again._

"Uh," Aang said hesitantly, oblivious to what Sokka truly meant. "I guess I could do that…"

"Great!" Sokka beamed. "When you come back, just drop her – _it _off on my doorstep, will ya? Thanks, buddy!"

Katara stepped in, sending a glare at her brother's direction. "Aang, don't to listen him. You don't know what he's referring to and trust me, you don't wanna know. You don't have to get him anything." She turned to Sokka. "What the heck, Sokka? You know he can't do that. That's illegal!"

Sokka just shrugged and smiled a really goofy grin.

"Erm…what's illegal?"

"You and your naïve little brain, Twinkletoes," Toph shook her head in disapproval.

"Hey! Don't discourage him. This is a one-time opportu – uh… favor!"

"Sokka, stop it. Aang and Gyatso will be very busy with their pilgrimage and you can't bother them with whatever you want them to bring home."

"But, Katara!"

She sent another glare his way and he recoiled.

"Wow," Toph drawled. "The kid hasn't left yet and you two are already putting him under pressure."

Aang chuckled awkwardly. "Guys, it's fine. I'll bring you home a few souvenirs if you'd like. I haven't really thought it through but it's not such a bad idea," he crossed the space between them to pet Momo by the mailbox. The cat purred in content. "Besides, it will be my first time abroad. I might as well bring something home for the memories. "

His girlfriend smiled sweetly at him. "Aang, that's really sweet of you. But really, it's not necessary. You should – "

"Katara, what are you doing? He already said yes," Sokka cut in and she glared at him menacingly.

"Katara, it's okay," Aang said again. "I want to bring you guys something home from the places we'll probably go to." Then suddenly, a really big smile crept to his face, the sun was nearly put to shame. "Spirits! I can't wait to finally get the show on the road."

Appa stood from his spot by the mailbox and barked at him, wagging his tail excitedly. Aang reached down to pet him too.

"Trust me on this, Aang," Sokka said, placing an arm on his shoulder. "You shouldn't get overly excited. It'll just wear you down."

"Sokka!"

"Oh come on, Katara," he groaned, removing his arm from Aang's shoulder and marched towards her. "Do you ever get tired of saying that? Seriously!"

Toph walked over to Aang, distancing herself from the two arguing siblings. "Sooo… any favors for us before you leave, Twinkletoes?" Toph asked, despite already knowing the answer. She didn't know why, but she felt obligated to remind him.

"Actually, yes. But you guys already know that," he picked up Momo and gave him to Toph. "You take care of him, okay?"

"Just as long as he stays out of my parents' room, my dad's office, the music room, and basically anywhere else in my house besides my room, then I can assure you that he'll be in good hands," Toph smiled innocently, but Aang didn't fail to catch the mischief behind it. The Siamese purred happily when Toph stroke his fur.

Katara stepped forward and kneeled in front of Appa. "And we'll be taking Appa. I'm sure he won't be too much trouble," She started to pet him. "Won't you, good boy?" She cooed and the dog's tail started to wag wildly.

"Great," Sokka drawled, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Another animal in the house."

Aang raised an eyebrow in bemusement. "Another? You guys have another pet, Katara?"

"Nope. Just Sokka," Toph answered for her.

"We have no other –," He paused and whined. "Hey!"

"What? It's true," she shrugged. "Am I right, Katara?"

"You are so right there."

Aang laughed and the girls howled with laughter with him, leaving Sokka to glare murderously at them. Yep, he'll totally miss this.

**.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.**

When Gyatso finally returned to the front lawn after securing everything in the house, Aang had already started with his goodbyes.

First, he had hugged Toph and he was surprised that she didn't really try to push him away like she normally would've. Instead, she clung to him a little, muttering something almost inaudible into his shoulder, but Aang heard her anyway.

"I'm gonna miss you, Twinkletoes," she had said. "God, I'm acting as if you're never coming back."

Aang just chuckled softly. Then she pushed him away and punched his shoulder painfully. "Now don't go all emotional while you're there or so help me I'll hurt you when I find out." He cringed. Then she turned to Gyatso when she saw him walking out the front door. "Gramps, let me know if he's getting really sappy during the trip. 'Cause I'm so totally gonna man him up when he comes back."

Gyatso just smiled and gave a curt nod. "Will do."

Next, Aang hugged Sokka the 'manly-way' as the older boy would call it. "Good luck, buddy," he said.

"Thanks, Sokka."

And just when we was about to pull away, Sokka pulled him back in and said something in a low voice. "Don't forget that little 'something-something' you promised to bring home, okay?"

"Erm… okay?"

Sokka smiled mischievously then released him.

Aang then turned to Katara who had been watching the exchange. She was smiling prettily at him. Aang felt his insides do a somersault and his heart flutter.

She walked over to him and embraced him. "Good luck, Aang." She said softly and Aang smiled into her hair. She smelled so pleasant like the ocean breeze. He didn't plan on letting her go one bit.

"You too, Katara."

Then he released her slightly but kept his hold on her. He leaned forward and brought their foreheads together, staring deeply into those beautiful blue orbs.

He smiled. She grinned.

Then he leaned his head forward slightly and gave her a soft and tender kiss, savoring the moment before they parted. It was short and sweet, just the way she liked it. Then he pulled away reluctantly, a blush creeping into his face.

He wished that he could kiss her more than just that, but with Sokka giving them a look, he wasn't sure if it was the best thing to do at the moment.

So Aang just kept his arms securely around Katara, enjoying her scent and ignoring whatever ranting Sokka was doing at the current moment. He kept her lock in a tight embrace and she didn't seem to want to let go just yet. She leaned her head on his shoulder and when he felt something wet soak his shirt, Aang tightened his hold around her.

"God, I'll miss you, Aang," she sniffed back the meek tears.

"Promise me that you'll be there waiting when I come back, okay?"

"… I promise," she whispered and gave him a light squeeze.

Behind them, Toph snorted. "You guys are acting as if he'll be gone till next year."

"Yeah, sis. Aang hasn't even left yet and you're being this melodramatic already?" He tried to separate them in between but failed miserably. "Distance, people. _Distance._"

Gyatso, who was watching the whole exchange in mild amusement, placed a hand on Sokka and Toph's shoulders. "I know you two may not have felt it yet but you'll soon discover what it feels like to leave someone you love behind."

Toph shrugged his hand off playfully and scoffed. "Believe me, Gramps. I don't want to know nor do I ever." The old man chuckled lowly.

Aang pecked Katara's lips once more before finally releasing her. He silently hoped that when he returns, he'll get to give her more than just that.

Smiling broadly at his friends, he said. "Well, guys, this is it." He kneeled down in front of Appa once more and petted him and Momo. "Take care, guys. I'll see you in three weeks." The dog barked and licked him across the cheek affectionately. Aang laughed as he wiped the nasty drool.

He walked over to the car and climbed on the front seat, but not before waving a final farewell to his friends. "See you later guys!"

"Later, Twinkletoes."

"So long, buddy. Hey! Don't forget that favor!"

Katara kicked her brother on the ankle and he yelped in pain. Toph snickered.

"Bye, Aang! Bye Gyatso!" she waved enthusiastically, ignoring the agonizing sound her brother was making. "See you soon!"

And with that said, the car took off, heading towards the international airport.

Aang watched his friends until their figures faded from view. He smiled to himself. They were probably the craziest, weirdest, and most amazing people he had ever met.

He remembered when he first told them about the trip, they were ecstatic to hear about the news. It was a first for Aang to actually go overseas and admittedly, he was excited too. And to make things even better, the trip was for free. Now, how many people are lucky to have that type of opportunity? Apparently, the abbey had to ensure that Gyatso will continue on with his duties so they offered to support the travels. Well, partially. But he was glad that the travelling fee was well taken care of. Aang couldn't wait to start his vacation.

But now, that little voice at the back of his head was starting to make him think otherwise.

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_*M.G. stands for Monk Gyatso. I couldn't really claim it as an original, but I couldn't help but use it._

_Reviews are highly appreciated C:_


	2. Chapter 1: Lost and Found

_**(A/N)**__ Hello, readers! Sorry this took more than a month to get published. I blame the writer's block I accumulated earlier this June. And it's mostly from the fact that I'm really busy with school right now that I didn't really have an idea on how to continue/officially start writing this story so... please bear with me. __**:v**__ I hope you'll enjoy this chapter despite that._

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**CHAPTER 1: Lost and Found**

* * *

_The heat._

Inhale.

_The sweat…_

Exhale.

_The throbbing headache…_

Deep inhale.

_Oh crap._

Gradual exhale.

_I want to die…_

A sweaty Sokka groaned and let his knees buckle without holding much of a restraint. It had only been less than an hour since they had agreed upon abiding with an errand, but said task was close to becoming the unachievable if they were to stay any longer.

From the previous descriptions enumerated, the heat was clearly unbearable.

_Where's a blizzard when you want one?_

The young man huffed and ran a slick arm across his forehead. Things would've been much easier if they've done this beforehand. But the woman just _had_ to procrastinate, or so his sister would say. With the sun steadily beating down above in the summer afternoon, the attic was at its boiling point. And sadly, there wasn't much of an alternative choice.

Finding an old beat-up couch behind him, Sokka allowed his full weight to fall inelegantly on the cushions. Having done so, he reached upwards to massage his temples soothingly, hoping to relieve him from the on-going fatigue. To his disappointment, the gesture didn't do much to remedy him from the pain. In fact, it had only proved to make his condition much worse than it already had been.

"Holy Tui and La," Sokka moaned, another layer of perspiration coated him. His cheeks puffed scarlet.

At that very moment, Sokka would do absolutely anything to escape the wrath of the attic's boiling temperature. And sadly, there weren't any offers or conditions given to him on a silver platter.

_Why the hell does summer have to be so damn hot?!_

An equally crimson and sweat-glistening face peeked from above the small pile of storage boxes. Katara poked her head in between with no difficulty.

"Sokka," his sister said in irritation. She pushed herself to stand from a crouch, slightly grunting at her effort. "What do you think you're doing?"

Sokka squinted at her in an incredulous manner. "What the hell does it look like, Katara," he growled. "We've been here – baking like freaking _cakes_ – for hours. I'm hot, mostly dehydrated and not to mention, _dying_ of exhaustion. Can we please just let this go?"

"What are you talking about? It hasn't even been an hour." Katara ambled towards where he sat and glared down at him. Sokka craned his neck upwards to scowl at the infuriating girl. She was equally sweaty; with her shirt and face drenched in almost all places just like his.

"I'm sweating up a river!" he yelled in exasperation. "And yes, we've been here long enough. Can't we just take a break for a while and come back later? I can't feel my lungs working."

"No."

"Aw, come on! Why not?!"

She crossed her arms and the glare intensified. "We – wait, _you_ boldly said that you could find it in the attic in less than two hours, Sokka. I remember every word you said. Every. word." She enunciated slowly and threateningly, waiting for his reaction. Sokka didn't have that much to give her, so she continued, "Not only that, you added that we won't even be bothering to take a break because you're too _bloody_ sure you could find it! This _is your_ doing. And I –" she pointed a finger squarely to her chest "– _I'm_ here because of _you_. 'Cause the attic is 'oh, so dark and scary I couldn't handle the paranormal crap that lurk within!'"

Sokka scoffed and narrowed his eyebrows. "What are you talking about? I never said that."

She scoffed right back to prove her point. "Uh yeah, you did. 'Oh, my good lord, it's so dark in there, Katara. Don't let me go alone!'" she mocked him exaggeratedly. He frowned. "You promised and made a deal with Gran-Gran. She wouldn't let it go unless you have proof that you've found it."

He heaved a breathy sigh, his headache momentarily forgotten. "Okay, okay, calm down, Katara. Calm. Down," he said slowly. "Sheesh, I said I was sorry."

"No, you haven't. And don't you dare expect anything from me, Sokka. You'll owe me for this, I swear to the moon."

The young man made a face at her. Between the two of them, he couldn't really deny the fact that his sister had proved her point justifiably despite it being undeniably irritating. In altercations like these, he would have retorted with a witty and smartass remark. But somehow, something had kept his mouth shut. Arguing with her right now was pointless since the girl had an obvious advantage.

And said advantage overtook him once more just as he had thought about it.

Sokka winced when he felt the headache resurface. Instinctively, he lifted one hand and grasped both of his throbbing temples.

_Not today, Sokka, not today._

"Fine. But can I at least get a glass of water if you're just gonna keep me here?" he asked meekly. "Please?"

There. He said "please" for the sake of it. It was a humble word.

Katara, despite being fully aware and concerned about her brother's condition, did not waver. She had her pride balancing effortlessly on the tip of her finger. Things like these happen rarely, but when the opportune comes, she always had the advantage point. The younger girl made a face and stalked away from him, resisting the urge to hold her head high in pride and satisfaction. Sokka watched as she approached a pile of un-opened crates at the opposite wall, filled with bundles of useless junk. On top of the stack lay a half empty jug of water. She swiped one of the cups and poured Sokka a drink.

"You can't blame me and my 'man-pride'," Sokka said, still fingering the source of the pain. Katara passed him the cup and he swiped it a little too briskly. The young man immediately downed the drink in a long gulp. "I have a reputation to keep," he said when the water had quenched him, the remaining liquid dripping from his chin.

"Yeah, well, your 'man-pride' is stupid," his sister spat, bending down to rummage through another box carton filled with old toys. "I shouldn't even be here helping you in the first place."

"And yet, here you are – preferably," he said smugly, setting the plastic cup down. Sokka idly picked himself up from the beat-up couch, his body swaying slightly while black stars danced across his vision.

"Shut up. I'm only doing this because Gran-Gran asked me to."

"Typical Katara; couldn't deny grandma with anything," Sokka mused. "You know, the woman didn't really force you to help me."

"No she didn't," Katara admitted, fiercely opening another carton that refused to obey her. She grunted when she found its useless contents. "But, _you_ begged her to let me join you, Sokka. I was so contented just sitting there doing my own thing until you dragged me into this. And so here I am. _Suffering._" The unmistakable sound of acid laced her tone.

"Because you love me?" Sokka shrugged with a wide, goofy grin.

"No because I'm stuck with you as my brother."

"Aw... but does my little sis love her big brotha?" Sokka teased over his shoulder, squatting to explore the contents of an old chest.

Katara rolled her eyes and sighed in defeat. "Unfortunately," she said with a small growl. Her brother's lips twitched slightly but the girl failed to catch it. It wasn't always that Katara would accept defeat and admit things in front of him. _Women_, he thought. For all he knew her ego could be nearly as big as his. "Now shut up and keep looking. We don't have much time. Plus, the attic is getting hotter by the minute. If you don't want to stay here any longer, you should start moving."

Sokka grinned triumphantly, despite himself. _Ha-ha, ten points for the Sok-ster._ After wiping the sweat from his neck and face with an equally drenched shirt, he shut the old chest filled with ancient magazines and proceeded to rummage through other storage items.

It was a comfortable silence between the two for a few minutes. Faint sounds of chests, boxes and drawers opening and closing, and random shuffling defied the laconism, but none of them strained to speak. In that span of time, Katara had managed to thoroughly explore eight more boxes and crates filled with old books and miscellaneous, while Sokka pretended to go about helping her. The poor boy was too idle to take things seriously. All he could do was sway feebly and scan the contents of the boxes Katara had already checked beforehand.

Of course, it was unclear if his sister had noticed. She was too preoccupied with her own business that she was seemingly unaware of her brother's activities.

"There's nothing here." she grunted, closing another wooden chest. She dusted her hands off of the grime and soot that clung to her palms. "Just some old, broken toys and furniture."

"You might want to add: and some other useless crap." Sokka yawned nonchalantly from his place in-between the piles of crates. He balanced his head on top of his palms. "Maybe what we're looking for wasn't even here to begin with, sis. All we found is some worthless junk."

"No, it's here," she said resolutely, trying to convince herself. "We just have to keep looking."

"Okay, okay, whatever you say, Katara." he made a face. "I don't know why you're so determined to find it." Sokka swept a hand to wipe yet another trail of sweat down his forehead. _Man, it's hot in here._

Katara shot him a look of disbelief. "I thought you knew why."

Sokka lifted the cover of one of the crates and began exploring its contents. He shrugged lazily. "Yeah, but I prefer not to make such a big deal about it."

It wouldn't have been a mandate if other people had asked them to perform the errand. But since this is in favour of Katara and Sokka's grandmother, then yes, it was something important.

Kanna had asked them to find a box of antique brooches hidden away in the attic. There were eighteen elaborate pins, she had informed them, all of which were imported from all over the world from eighteen different countries. She had been planning to sell them in the museum since she had no further use for them. Katara had guessed that Gran-Gran felt a need for the money. Spirits knew why she'd want to auction something that could've cost a fortune.

With the heat gradually increasing in the attic, the pair found it even more difficult to continue with their search. Soon, breathing alone will start becoming a problem. Every now and then, sweat would excrete from their pores and drip down their slick bodies. And sadly, as much as Katara hated to admit it, their search was taking them nowhere. Not once had she seen the familiar glimmer of light reflecting from the interior of the boxes.

Sokka on the other hand, had found something that caught his attention. The moment his hand had brushed against its surface, he knew exactly what said object was. Imperceptivity in a short amount of time, a wide grin started to creep on his sweat-glistening face.

"Hey, Katara," he beamed excitedly, digging into the interior of the old drawer. "Look what I found!"

"What is it _now,_ Sokka?" his sister asked, a slight annoyance in her tone.

"I found something. You'll like it. I promise!"

The girl blinked a couple of times before it registered to her that perhaps her brother had found what they've been looking for. Suddenly excited, Katara felt a wave of relief wash over her. Quickly, she leaped and treaded towards where he was crouched down.

"Really? What is it? Did you find it?" she asked in anticipation, a similar smile had grown on her comely features. She bent over and strained to see what her brother had taken possession of.

"Nope," he said, and strangely, she saw that he was still grinning. Katara arched an eyebrow at him, bemused. "But I found something even better." Reaching down, he pulled out an old, brass-coloured notebook.

It was ancient, leather-bound and with a decaying interior. But despite that factor, the pages were still intact and not entirely brittle – although the colours had morphed into a sepia tone. A black ribbon strand peaked out from beneath the book, trapped in-between the pages. The golden lock was fastened like an envelope and it held the book in place.

One mere glance will tell you of the book's contents and Katara gasped when she realized what it was.

It was an old journal.

"_Hollaaa!_" Sokka sang. The young man grinned oblivious to Katara's inner turmoil, while waving the book in her face. "Take a good guess and tell me what this is."

"Obviously none of your business." Katara made to snatch the book but failed miserably. Her brother nimbly swept his hand holding the journal to keep it away from her grasp. She growled at the feeble attempt. Sokka smirked, knowing it would further annoy her. "What the heck are you doing, Sokka? Give it! That thing could be important."

"Tell me what this oh-so wonderful book is first."

"What the hell do you think it is?!" She strained to seize it from him again. Once more, he eluded it from her grasp just as swiftly as he had before. Sokka held up a hand in front of her smugly, freezing her in place.

"It's a _diary _isn't it?" he said with a playful smirk. "What could someone's diary be doing in our attic?"

"Probably with the reason to be kept hidden from people like you!"

"Chill, Katara, no need for the acid." Still holding the book, he folded his arm behind his back to prevent his sister from reaching for it. "This is epic; we found a diary!" he beamed gleefully, much to his sister's scowl. "Think about all the secrets this thing could have...hey, maybe this guy had fantasies!"

"Stop acting immature, and hand it over," she scolded firmly and took a step forward. "That thing could belong to anyone!"

"Which is exactly why no one would mind if we take a little, itty-bitty peak…"

Sokka took the book from behind his back and made a show of unclasping the fastened lock. He went on by dramatically flipping through random pages filled with neat but faintly illegible cursive handwriting. Katara watched in horror when he stopped at a particular page, and it only served to make things worse when she saw the older boy's eyes brighten in anticipation. Sokka grinned maniacally.

"Ho-ho-hooaaa!" he exclaimed with a laugh. "Dear journal…July 28th, 1947 – "

"Sokka!" Katara grabbed the book from his hands before he had a chance to catch a good glimpse of the first paragraph. The young man laughed hysterically at his sister's reaction.

Katara wouldn't have taken this as an offense if the journal had belonged to a child, but then it looked too much of an antique to belong to little girls. Even so, no one has the right to read through someone else's journal without their consent. And even if they had, it wouldn't be an honourable thing to do. Whoever owned it should at least deserve some respect.

Sokka was aware of that, but he chose the latter course of action. Katara knew that he was just teasing her (it was a laugh for him) and knew that she should have just played along, but sometimes Sokka's immaturity level could be at an unreachable scale.

Hugging the book protectively to her chest, she swiftly spun away from him.

"Oh man, Katara, you take things _way_ too seriously." he chortled.

"That wasn't funny, Sokka!"

"You'd honestly think I'll be able to read through that handwriting? I barely even got to decipher the word 'journal'."

"I'm not falling for that. You had no trouble scanning it."

He chuckled. "You don't believe me? Go see for yourself."

For a moment there, Katara was tempted to browse through the pages and snap at him for that excuse, but the little voice in the back of her head reminded her how cunning he could be when he's aware of things. She isn't going to fall for that. She'd be walking into Sokka's trap. And a smug-looking brother is the least thing she wanted to see right now.

Sokka watched her, an amused expression plastered on his face. She's been acting quite queer and dramatic ever since she was asked to aid him with the search. It had only occurred to him now, after the firm observation, that perhaps this must be one of her 'days'.

_Heh, figures. _

"You know, you could have just put it back where you have found it," he said casually. By then, his laughter had died down but the sound of his grin was still ringing in her ears.

"And have you go after it when no one's looking? I don't think so."

He shook his head, grinning. "You know me well, Katara. Seriously though, what could be in that thing that's worth protecting, anyway? It really won't kill anyone if we do a quick scan. Besides, for all we know the owner could be long gone by now."

She glared at him again, but this time, it was clearly much more intense. _Yep, today is definitely one of those days. _Sokka couldn't help but grin, despite the attic's sudden increase of temperature.

"Are you _that_ stupid, Sokka?"

"I'm curious, dear sister, not stupid. Curious minds tend to yearn; stupid minds stay grounded."

"You know, that's the smartest thing I've heard you say the whole day."

He shrugged. "I ain't Einstein but I'm naturally brilliant."

"Now I'm starting to think otherwise," she grumbled, scrunching up her nose.

Sokka made a face at her before she stalked away with the book still in her arms. "Stop guarding it like it's a golden egg, Katara. It's not like some asshole will just jump for it anytime."

She scoffed. "Yeah, right. Said 'asshole' just had his eyes scan through the pages a few seconds ago."

"_Hey!"_

It was her turn to smirk, waving the journal in his face when she was a good distance away from him. "I'm keeping it where you can't get your dirty hands on it."

"You're gonna hide it where? In your _panty-drawer, _Katara? The same horrid place where you hid my phone last month? Oh yeah, that's genius; I'll never look in there! Imagine the horror of soiled underwear!"

Katara threw one of her flip-flops at him when he started to laugh hysterically. The slipper hit his forearm harmlessly when he attempted to shield himself.

"_The horror!"_ he exclaimed as he guffawed.

"Shut up!"

"What's all the noise about?"

The duo froze and turned to see their grandmother ascending the steps to the attic. She held the railing firmly, her other hand grasping canteen of water. Even with her old age, Katara was amazed to find her still capable of doing things on her own without the slightest difficulty.

"Hey, Gran-Gran," she said calmly. "We were just talking."

"I heard something about panties."

Sokka sniggered. His sister shot him a death glare, and almost instantly, his laughter quieted down to a minimum. He bit his lip to stop himself from another train of cackles.

"'Panties' aren't part of the vocabulary, Gran-Gran," Katara said.

Kanna ignored her. "Sokka, dear, you're much too old to be fantasizing about women's underwear. And no, your sister's panties aren't something to have fantasies about. Those are for other men to fancy, honey."

"Gran-Gran!"

That did it. Sokka broke into a boisterous fit of laughter before his sister could give him a fair warning. A flustered blush started to stain her caramel features.

"Holy shit, Gran-Gran!" Sokka exclaimed as he guffawed.

"Watch your language, dear."

Sokka continued to laugh uncontrollably, and their grandmother watched the entire scene with a placid yet amused expression on her face. The woman just couldn't stop torturing her, could she? Katara groaned and slapped her palms to her face, forcefully dragging them down and wiping her sweat in the process. "Oh, Spirits, why?"

Kanna patted a calloused hand on her shoulder. "Now, now, Katara, no need to worry. I'll personally make sure that he'll be a decent young man from now on. He won't be able to get himself a girlfriend if 'panties' are still part of his vocabulary."

Of course, Sokka was too busy laughing loudly that he didn't hear what the old woman had told his sister. The corners of her mouth twitched slightly when she realized it being true. Upon sensing the reaction, her old grandmother mirrored the sly grin.

A full minute had passed and by then, the laughter had faded to Sokka sniggering faintly. Katara glowered at his general direction but the intense glare she sent his way had no effect on him.

She turned to Kanna. "Why did you come up here, Gran-Gran? It's too hot. The doctors said it's not good for your blood pressure."

"Oh, don't worry about my blood pressure, dear. I won't die of a stroke in just five minutes. I'll have a whole lifetime for that," she smiled good-naturedly. Katara just look at her in disbelief. Kanna then crossed the room to pass the bottle of water to Sokka who took it a little eagerly. "Now if you must know," she continued, facing the Katara. "I've been hearing your voices escalate for the past few minutes downstairs. I thought it was about time to investigate. And now that I know what the problem is, there's nothing for me to worry about."

Sokka smirked slyly at Katara, who met his gaze, and mouthed 'lingerie'. She on the other hand, looked uncharacteristically oh-so tempted to give him the '_finger_'.

Their grandmother, oblivious to the brief exchange, calmly sauntered over to the old beat up couch and settled herself on the cushions. "It's quite humid here, isn't it?" Kanna mused, taking in the surroundings. Sokka uncorked the canteen and stared into the whole of its contents. A satisfied grin met his sweaty face.

"Boiling, Gran-Gran. Boiling," Sokka gulped the drink down, spilling some of its contents, messily dripping down his chin before passing the half empty canteen to his sister.

Gran-Gran merely smiled and patted her forehead with a handkerchief. "So have you found it yet?"

"Not yet," Katara spoke before getting her share of the water.

"But we're getting close," Sokka said sarcastically.

Kanna had apparently picked up his sarcasm because her grandson saw the old woman's eyebrows furrow. Looking at the dishevelled attic, it was obviously not an easy task to find something that had been kept hidden for years. Boxes and crates of old toys, books, clothes and junk were littered everywhere. Only the fewest things had labels fastened on them. She wondered if maybe she had made Sokka's task a little too much for them to handle. After all, whatever she had asked the pair to find wasn't exactly something that could save the world or anything like that. Neither was it something entirely important, but it surely would've been a big help to what she had planned.

But then Katara spoke, and the old woman felt hope resurface.

"Although," she added thoughtfully. "We did find something else." Katara treaded over to where Kanna was sitting.

Extending her arms, she showed her grandmother the book she had held to her chest a moment before. "We haven't looked through this, but I was hoping you would keep it away from him." She nodded her head sideways towards her brother Sokka.

The moment her weary eyes had found themselves focusing on the book, Kanna was more than a little too overwhelmed to decide whether she should be happy or upset. She decided on neither, showing the smallest bit of surprise she could muster.

Her granddaughter had presented her a leather book and she took it gingerly, as if it would turn to dust if she seized it too tight. Furrowing her brows, she ran her palms over the smooth exterior, feeling faint bristles protruding from the edges.

"Where did you find this?" she asked, in a slightly meek manner.

"Somewhere in one of those drawers." Katara pointed to one corner of the attic. "Why? What is it?"

There was a slight pause, then, without meeting her eyes, Kanna spoke. "This is a journal – a very, very old journal. You know what journals contain, do you?"

"Yes," Katara said with a slight nod. Her brother had now joined them and was standing beside the couch. "Do you know of its owner? Whoever he or she is must be very old. The date was back to the 1940s."

There was another pause. Kanna had brooded for a moment, silently reminiscing something while her grandchildren watched her expectantly. "Yes I do. In fact, I know her very well and no, she isn't that old." She chuckled.

"Who then?"

She smiled pleasantly, and met the eyes of the two youths. "Me."

* * *

**To be continued...**

_Reviews make me happy C:_


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